


We'll figure it out together (or you figure it out for me and I'll copy whatever you do)

by Colourcodedbinders



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Single Parents, Strangers to Lovers, a bit of a slow burn but not really, it's cute I'll tell you that, there will be fluffy parenting involved
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-02-18 20:11:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13107678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Colourcodedbinders/pseuds/Colourcodedbinders
Summary: Jake Peralta is the world's coolest single father. There's no doubt about it. He's fun, and loving, and Mae only mildly complains about his culinary skills. If you ask him, he'll tell you that he's doing just fine. (He's not.)Amy Santiago has no clue what's going on, but hey, she's trying?





	1. The meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Heya! Here's to my first multichap! I hope you guys enjoy it as it progresses. I noticed a while ago that there are not nearly enough peraltiago single parent aus, and I just had to rectify that. Anyway, I'll leave the long notes for the end. Enjoy! (proofread by the sweetest person alive: @sadtiagos)

Jacob Peralta is an excellent NYPD Detective, thank you very much. In fact, some would even argue that he is, quote-unquote, _“New York City’s John McClane”. ___

__Well, maybe he’s the only one who says that, and maybe Charles is the only one who agrees with him when he does, but the point is: Jake Peralta freaking rules. He’s solved countless cases, from B &Es to homicides to tracking down angry old ladies who somehow robbed a bar during a “Sweet 60” celebration. He manages, day after day, to be the best detective in his precinct (not by much, but still the best), risking his life to keep the sweet, sweet city of Brooklyn, New York, as safe as can be. And Brooklyn, as the whole world knows it, is home to the world’s most creative delinquents, so it hasn’t been especially easy. Oh no, over his four years as a detective, Jake’s seen and personally stopped the weirdest criminals, from teenage boys trying to sell coke to their grandma to that one guy who would chop his victim’s left arm off before shoving it down their throats. And needless to say, Trevor Bronwynn isn’t by any means the only insane person the cop has had to shackle._ _

__His all-time favorite perp, though, would have to be that dude who used to strangle his victims before covering their faces with bright red women’s underwear. (Seriously, nothing will ever compare to the pure _glee _he felt when he slammed Lingerie Larry - Charles’s nickname, not his - against an old brick wall and exclaimed, loud and cheerful, “You can’t put panties on the law, bitch!”) It’s not his proudest moment, but he thoroughly enjoyed it.___ _

____In short, Jake’s seen some stuff._ _ _ _

____And yet, he’s never been more terrified than he is right this second, feet firmly rooted into the ground as he fearfully stares at Mae’s preschool’s doors, his five year-old daughter’s soft hand firmly clasped in his own, sweaty one._ _ _ _

____The ugly green doors (seriously, green? really?) stare right into his soul, with their tiny little stained glass window hole thingies and drawings of who-knows-what taped onto them, their stupid window-eyes unblinking as if they know something the detective doesn’t._ _ _ _

____(He tries to stare the door down, he really does, but it’s hard, okay? Doors don’t blink. It’s an unfair competition to begin with!)_ _ _ _

____The (totally unfair) stare-down doesn’t last too long, though, because soon enough Jake feels a light pressure on his arm and tears his gaze away from the entrance to gaze down at his daughter._ _ _ _

____Mae, with her curly brown pigtails and adorable little blue dress, is looking up at him, her beautiful, brown eyes widened as she tugs on his plaid shirt’s sleeve._ _ _ _

____“Let’s go, Daddy,” she says, “We don’t want to be late. Being late is bad.”_ _ _ _

____He isn’t sure she hears his grumbled reply about unpunctuality being in her blood (which is probably for the best), because all she does is tug on his sleeve with a little more force, reminding him a little bit of Gina when she used to drag him into Sephora all those years ago._ _ _ _

____Which is a little unfair of a comparison, in his opinion. Sephora might not have been his favorite place to hang out, but it was, and still is, way better than school. Going to school isn’t even ten percent as cool as going into Sephora might be. If anything, it’s in the negatives. School is _negative ten percent _as cool as Sephora is.___ _ _ _

______(Jake’s not too sure how that works, but he stands by it. School sucks.)_ _ _ _ _ _

______His poor, poor naive child, however, seems not to know as well as her very charming, very smart father, because she keeps pulling his arm towards the doors, groaning a little as she does so, refusing to let up until he finally moves forward and rings the stupid school’s stupid doorbell._ _ _ _ _ _

______He reluctantly does end up pressing the dumb button, ready to turn on his heels if there isn’t a reply within the next thirty seconds._ _ _ _ _ _

______Unfortunately, the school’s secretary seems to be very bad at reading vibes, and smiles at Jake after she buzzes him in, gleefully pointing him in the direction of Mae’s classroom._ _ _ _ _ _

______He’s mildly disappointed in the way his daughter _literally _jumps up and down in excitement as she hurriedly drags him towards the room the woman had indicated, his feet only partly lifting off of the ground.___ _ _ _ _ _

________(So what, the janitors will have to clean up the marks his shoes have left behind? That’s what they get for working in a _school. _)___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________It takes a while for his (surprisingly strong) daughter to pull him up to her kindergarten classroom, and before he can even open his mouth to sound a protest, try to keep his little Mae at home with him, bribe her with ice cream or chocolate or, you know, all the kind of stuff he would’ve _definitely _skipped school for, the gates to hell swing open, and a tall, blonde woman makes her way to them, smiling.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Hello. May I help you?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Her question is clearly directed towards Jake, but when all the man seems to be able to give her in response is a half-masked scowl and shrug, the woman crouches down to be at the same height as Mae, and addresses the child directly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Hey, sweetheart. I’m Miss Demetra. I teach the kindergarten class.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________She extends her arm for a handshake, and Jake’s innocent daughter reaches back as if she were being offered a promotion._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________(Not that Jake’s familiar with formally being handed promotions. His last C.O., Captain McGintley had simply called him into the office and said “You’re one of those detectors now.”)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Mae straightens her posture a little, pulling her shoulders backwards so that her chest appears to be sticking out in what she probably thinks is pose that displays authority, and brings herself up so that she’s balancing on her tiptoes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“My name is Mae Lucy Peralta. I’m five years old and my Daddy is a little bit scared.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Demetra smiles, shaking her head as she glances in Jake’s direction and stands up, taking a step in his direction._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Usually the parents can’t wait until their kid starts going to school.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Something about the way she says that, the way she says it like it’s a fact, like Jake should be feeling the way every other loser in the world feels, makes him hate her a little._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Yeah, well,” he starts, looking her right in the eye, “They’re probably super dumb. Nobody should be happy to be forced to leave their kid with a complete stranger for half of the day.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“The complete strangers you’re leaving you kid with are trained professionals, Mr. Peralta.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“I bet you every museum guard who’s ever been on duty while it was being robbed was also a trained professional.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Well, I assure you that no one is trying to steal your children away,” the woman huffs, and yeah, Jake definitely hates her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Doesn’t mean I trust you.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Demetra gives him a long, cold stare, before shaking her head and smiling down at Mae, who looks as if she’d rather be anywhere in the world right now _but there. _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________Me too, kiddo. Me too. ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“I’m very sorry you feel that way, Mr. Peralta, but I assure you that your daughter is in very capable hands,” she says to him, eyes still trained on his daughter, before placing a soft hand on said daughter’s back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Mae, sweetheart, come on inside.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________The kid hesitantly nods and follows the older woman into the classroom, and in that moment, if there is one person he dislikes more than the Vulture, it’s Demetra He-doesn’t-even-care-enough-to-learn-her-last-name._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Jake watches Mae’s back as she walks away from the door, her slightly uneven pigtails bobbing with her every step, and is right about to turn around and leave when a voice rings behind him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“It’s hard, huh?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________He turns around, startled at the sudden noise, and nearly stumbles over as he comes face-to-face with a woman, standing with perfect posture and a shaking hand against the wall._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________(A very, very pretty woman. Not that he’d ever admit it out loud.)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________She’s wearing this neatly ironed dark grey pantsuit, with her hair done up in an incredibly neat bun that would put Mrs. Joshen’s (his high school principal, don’t ask) to shame. For a quick, short second, Jake lets himself think that this woman, whoever she may be, manages to make bossy look gorgeous._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Of course, he only thinks that for a second, because this woman is someone’s mom, and most likely even someone’s _wife. _And look, Jake may not think twice before stealing Charles’s coffee in the morning, but to steal someone’s woman? That’s a level of douchebag-iness only his father can achieve.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Are you alright?” the woman asks then, taking a step forward._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Huh?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________She smiles a little, just a little tug towards the corner of her tightly shut lips, and suddenly, that becomes Jake’s favorite type of smile ever._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“You look… tired. Or confused? Lost. I’m not too sure.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Um, all of the above?” he answers. “How exactly is a father supposed to feel when his little girl betrays him and decides she’d rather want to learn the dumb alphabet than hang out and have ice cream all day?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Proud, probably,” she says, “You’ll finally be able to get off storytime duty once she can read.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“But I love storytime!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Her lips stretch out again, revealing a row of straight, white, _unbelievably _healthy looking teeth and then she’s laughing, shaking her a little as she does so.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________In other news, Jake now has a favorite laugh of hers. And no, that’s not creepy. It’s absolutely normal. Back off._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Well, then. I guess you’re hopeless.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“That’s what everyone says.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________The woman amusedly shakes her head at that, and then extends a hand for Jake to shake._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Amy Santiago.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Jake.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Nice to meet you, Jake.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Nice to meet you too, Amy.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________They shake hands with a cordial nod, and maybe, right then, for a quick, blissful moment, Jake is able to push all thoughts of Mae and school and Demetra to the back of his mind, focusing solely on the pantsuit-ed woman - Amy, and her very straight, very white teeth._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________Has he mentioned how perfect her teeth are? It’s creepy. ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Of course, his blissful moment is a reasonably short one, because somewhere inside the classroom, a kindergartener yells, and Amy whips her head in the direction of the noise before running off in its direction._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“Oliver?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Jake doesn’t exactly get to process anything before Amy pushes Demetra out of the way and practically hurls herself at a small, tan boy, caressing his face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“Oliver? Honey, are you okay? What’s going on? Are you hurt?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________The boy shakes his head, slowly taking Amy’s hands off of his face before turning around and pointing at a little girl._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Mae. Before pointing at Mae._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“We were playing, Mommy. I was scaring Mae.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“I didn’t get scared,” Mae defensively says._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“It sure seems like you scared someone, though.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Demetra walks up to Amy and helps her stand up, giving her an empathetic look. Amy bashfully smiles and turns to walk back out towards the hallway, towards where Jake still stands, her steps hurried and her gaze fixed firmly on the ground beneath her as she zips out of eyesight._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Jake doesn’t exactly know what compels him to do so, but he finds himself running after her, following her outside the school and calling out her name._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________She stops walking when she reaches a grey car, which Jake assumes is hers, and tries to hurry in and shut the doors before he gets to her, but Jake’s a cop, damn it. He knows sad and scared when he sees it and this, the emotion Amy is feeling right this second, is a little bit of both._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________He runs up to the vehicle right as the woman is about to pull the door shut, and leans forward a little so that he’s standing firmly against the car, but isn’t too close to the driver inside._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“Are you alright?” he manages, still a little breathless from running after her. (She walks fast, holy shit.)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“It’s uh - It’s nothing,” she reassures him. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sorry you had to see that.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“It’s okay.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“No, it’s not. I totally embarrassed Oliver there. I just - I - look, I’ve heard horror stories?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“Horror stories? About kids in preschools?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________His quip is met with silence, and for the first time since he’s met her, Jake wonders if he’s crossed a line somewhere. “I’m sorry,” he mumbles._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“No, it’s alright. I freaked out. I shouldn’t have.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, hands resting against the steering wheel. When she looks back up at him, she’s smiling._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“I actually have to get to work soon. I’ll uh, see you around?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“Yeah. Totally,” he replies as he straightens up. “We’ll be seeing each other. With our eyes. Seeing, literally. Not like dating or anything. You’re probably married. You know what? I’m going to be late, too.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________And like that, without sparing a second glance at the woman, Jake finds his way to his beaten up Mustang and drives to the precinct, visions of ugly green doors and evil blonde women replaced with those of breathtaking smiles and a queen in a shining (pant)suit of armour._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	2. Detective? Detective.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s surprising how being a detective can seem like the world’s most tiresome job when you’d rather be at home eating sushi with your daughter. Of course, Jake realizes that Mae’s been here for _five years_ , and five years during which he’d also been working, yes, but it’s totally different when your kid’s not with your mom but rather with some witch-headed blonde named Demetra, okay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took 45 years?? My life is a hot mess and I'm trying so hard?? Hope you enjoy it, though. IT'S NOT THE BEST UPDATE BUT I PROMISE YOU IT GETS BETTER *cues to the last time I said that*

It’s surprising how being a detective can seem like the world’s most tiresome job when you’d rather be at home eating sushi with your daughter. Of course, Jake realizes that Mae’s been here for _five years_ , and five years during which he’d also been working, yes, but it’s totally different when your kid’s not with your mom but rather with some witch-headed blonde named Demetra, okay?

He’s skulking at his desk, his head laying flat on the cool, wooden surface in front of him as his fingers dejectedly fiddle with his keyboard, the arrest reports for his latest collar resting in the corner, next to his lamp, completely untouched.

Charles had tried to cheer him up by taking him out for burgers, earlier, but his constant mentioning of how Nikolaj refuses to eat anything other than buttered noodles doesn’t exactly help keep Jake’s mind off of his daughter.

(There was a brief, almost too-short moment at the joint during which Jake swears he saw Amy walking down the street, his curiosity distracting him for a quick second, but other than that, he’s a mess. And he wants his daughter back. Who knows what Demetra’s doing to his little warrior. That no-good evil cave huntress.)

Rosa tries as well, pointing a knife blade in his direction and telling him to “cut it out” (which was an unintentional but masterful pun, he points out), but his compliance only lasts for about a total of three minutes before he’s gone back to moping.

“Are you asleep, Detective Peralta?” a smooth, baritone voice rings about ten minutes into his latest moping sesh, successfully getting the man’s attention, “I hope you’re aware that you’re still on the clock.”

“I’m just trying to bore my sorrows away,” the detective replies, groggily straightening up and pulling his file closer to himself. “Can’t a free man do that, at least?”

“Please mope on your own time, Peralta,” Captain Holt says, clearly unimpressed, “and come into my office once you’re done with your reports. I need to speak to you about the robber you brought in on Saturday.”

* * *

“Detective Santiago?” Captain Martin calls from her, distracting Amy from the file currently splayed in front of her. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”

Amy replies with a hasty affirmation and a nod in the red headed woman’s direction, signing the dotted line at the bottom of her page and closing the file before her, taking it into the cabin with her.

“The reports on the McPhearson arrest, Ma’am,” the detective slowly declares, placing the files on the corner of her commanding officer’s desk. 

“Thank you, Detective,” the older woman says with a courteous smile. “Have you made any progress with the kidnapping case?”

“Not much as of yet,” she answers, face visibly paling, “but I’m going over the files as we speak. I’m working on it. I mean - I’m giving it my best, Ma’am. I can solve this.”

“And I have no doubts about it. You are, after all, my most capable detective. However, I’d like to ask if you’d be okay working alongside a detective at the ninety-ninth to get to the bottom of the investigation. It appears that a certain…” she pulls up a notepad from her topmost drawer, reading something off of it, “Detective Peralta has arrested a person of interest.”

“Oh. Uh, of course. The more people on the case, the less kids being taken, amirite?”

“You may head over to the nine-nine effective immediately, Santiago.”

“Yes Ma’am. Sorry Ma’am.”

* * *

Jake steps out of Captain Holt’s office with a weight on his chest. He’s sad, he’s confused, he’s a little scared, and most of all, he’s _livid._

The captain had told him that Jonathan Drekswald, a middle-aged creepy looking man Jake had brought in two days earlier on two counts of armed robbery, had apparently had ties to suspects on a kidnapping case.

A kidnapping case involving an unknown number of perps holding young kids hostage for ransom.

Captain Holt’s reassured Jake that he can work the case alongside a detective from the seven-eight, who apparently has been following this case for three weeks. They should be coming along any moment, and the second they get there, Jake is going to work the heck out of this case, find whoever these bastards are, and snap their necks in half.

No one messes with children. _No one. ___

He’s also a little pissed off at whichever incompetent detective has been working this case because _three weeks _is way too long for a child to be away from their parents. Or for parents to be away from their children. If he were on the case, this thing would have been solved twenty days ago. Who lets these time-wasting morons onto the force, anyway?__

__He’s sitting at his desk, angrily munching on a bagel Charles brought him, when the elevator doors open. Jake’s head snaps up and his eyes widen, his mouth still full of bagel contents, at the sight of Amy Santiago walking into his precinct, three abnormally stuffed files in hand. Her eyes lock with his almost instantaneously, and she sends a cordial nod and weak attempt at a smile in his direction before making her way to Terry’s desk._ _

__Jake tries to ignore the sudden faint buzzing-like jittery feeling that ignites in the pit of his stomach, but no matter how hard he tries to ignore her, no matter how desperately he wants to go back and enjoy his bagel in goddamn peace, just him and his anger, his gaze always finds its way back to her. She’s somehow managed to get even more attractive over the last couple of hours, he thinks, and the fact that she’s now got a visible detective’s badge hanging off her belt loop (holy shit, she’s a detective, an NYPD detective, a woman with the best job in the entire freaking world) really isn’t diminishing his little crush at all._ _

__He isn’t sure if she caught him staring yet, but a poorly concealed giggle to his left gives away the fact that his best friend definitely has. Jake briefly debates whether he should ignore Charles’s wale or turn around and tell him to shut the darn hell up, but isn’t left with much of a choice when the man in question rolls his chair up to Jake’s desk and whispers, in a tone of voice that is anything but a whisper, “Is this who you’ve been thinking about all day? She’s beautiful, Jakey.”_ _

__“You think who’s hot, Jake?” Gina asks from behind them, looking up from her phone._ _

__“Jake wants to bone who?” Rosa loudly adds, walking out from Captain Holt’s office and successfully gaining Amy’s attention._ _

__“Nobody. No one at all. I do not want to have no sex with anybody ever. Shut up. All of you.”_ _

__He glances over at Amy, who seems to be confused at the whole ordeal, and nervously waves at her. She waves back and shakes her head in amusement, her near-mocking expression immediately wiped off her face when Captain Holt steps out of his office and calls for them both._ _

__“Take a seat, Detective Santiago,” Holt calmly says, gesturing to the chair next to Jake once inside. “This is Detective Peralta,” he begins, briefly glancing at the detective in question, “He’s found a new lead that may pertain to your current open case. You are both to work this one together until it is solved. Am I clear?”_ _

__“Yep.”_ _

__“Absolutely, Sir.”_ _

__“Good,” the other man nods. “Assuming all of your previous cases are closed and that your reports have been turned in,” he pointedly looks at Jake as he says this, “you may begin working on this file effective immediately. I expect to be briefed if there are any new developments.”_ _

* * *

__“So… Detective Peralta,” Amy smiles at him as they take a seat at his desk. “I didn’t know you were a cop.”_ _

__“I didn’t know you were one either, _Detective Santiago._ I would have guessed teacher. Or accountant. Maybe even toothpaste model.”_ _

__“Toothpaste model?”_ _

__“You have nice teeth. Don’t be flattered. It’s the only nice thing on your face.”_ _

__“I’ll take it,” she replies, sobering up and opening on of the files in front of her. “So, here’s what’s going on with this case: three weeks ago, this kid,” she pulls out a picture of a little boy, blonde and chubby, no older than five, “disappeared from his daycare. No one saw him leave, and for a number of hours after his disappearance, there wasn’t a single clue as to where he might have gone. They had cops on the case, all the daycare’s camera footage was analyzed, everything came up blank.”_ _

__“He just vanished? Just like that?”_ _

__“Just like that, he goes into the corner of a hallway - a blind spot - and never comes back,” Amy solemnly explains, pulling out another sheet of paper. This one’s a statement record. “His parents say that at about 8 at night, they got a call from a private number, which we traced back to…” another sheet of paper, a map this time, “here, from some guy - who sounds like he’s older than twenty - asking for 100 grand. But here’s the thing: he never gave them an ultimatum, a meet-up spot, or even a way to contact him again. He just asked for the money, hung up, and then boom. Radio silence.”_ _

__“It seems like he doesn’t want the money at all,” Jake remarks, grabbing her files and shuffling through them. “Why do you think he’s doing it?”_ _

__“I don’t know, but twelve days after the first kid,” she pulls up the second file, “he took him.” He notices the way her fingers tremble slightly as she hands him the next picture - again, of a young boy - with caramel-coloured skin and dark, brown hair. If it weren’t for his piercing blue eyes, jake would have thought it was the kid she’d dropped off at school the same morning. “And then he did the same thing. Called from a private number somewhere in a different district than the last, and asked for money before shutting up entirely.”_ _

__The next thing Jake does is almost instinctive, a reflex he’s gained thanks to the full five years of being a good father and all, and before he even knows what’s going on, he’s got a hand covering Amy’s trembling one as he flips open the third case file. She flashes him a grateful smile, taking in a deep breath and pulling out a third picture. She hands it to him, this one a little brunet with little brown eyes almost similar Jake’s own and a huge gap where his front teeth should be._ _

__“Four days ago,” she says, “same thing.”_ _

__The detective stands up with purpose, extending a hand for his new temporary partner to take as he nods towards the briefing room. “Time to catch a bastard, Santiago.”_ _

* * *

__They go over everything twice, three times, even. They take turns interrogating Drekswald, who swears that he has nothing to do with the case despite having worked as a janitor at all three daycares _and_ mysteriously quitting his job as soon as the first child disappeared. They ask for his alibis, conduct a thorough examination of his phone, and even manage to get a warrant to search his apartment, but still, three hours later, Jake and Amy are left with nothing but a burnt out lead. Everything about Jonathan Drekswald checks out. He’s clean. Well, except for the robbery. He did that. He definitely did that. _ _

__Amy’s on her fourth cup of coffee as she furiously rereads her files, despite having them nearly memorized at this point, desperately searching for _something_ she might have missed. A common motive, a pattern, a hidden camera she hadn’t thought of, _anything.__ _

__Jake, on the other hand, pulls out a map of the city and pinpoints every relevant location to the case. The daycares the kids were taken from, their addresses, where the phone calls came from, and even where their parents work. He bugs Amy constantly, asking her if she’s absolutely sure she’s double-checked everything. Amy tells him, every single time, that she has. Yes, she’s interviewed the teachers. Yes, she’s tried identifying every vehicle present in the parking lot. Yes, she’s put out an APB for the kids. Yes, she has, she has, she has._ _

__Jake’s writing down an array of phone numbers on the present whiteboard an hour later, when he hears Amy curse and run towards her purse on his desk._ _

__“Santiago? You okay?”_ _

__“School. Kid,” she replies, and a furtive glance towards the battered at the end of the room confirms it to Jake. Their shift is over, and he has a five-year old daughter to pick up from hell. Sighing, the detective makes sure his keys and wallet and secured in his pocket and follows Amy to the elevator._ _

__it's only once he's in his car, driving out of the lot behind Amy's grey vehicle, that he manages to forget about the case and allows himself to smile.__

____

____

_It's time for Mae to come home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MOTIVA-A-A-A-ATION, WHERE ARE YOU-U-U-U-U????

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you didn't barf :) 
> 
> Not going to lie, updates on this are going to be slow, because I'm working on about six other things at the same time. And that's without even bringing up school and family and friends and - you get it.
> 
> This one's for my light in the dark, my calm in the chaos, my lovely buddy whose face stays frozen onto my phone screen for about thirty minutes after we've hung up on each other. Love ya loads. 
> 
> Um, I promise thing will get better from here on? I know this is a smaller, quite uneventful chapter, but it's all uphill from here! (I hope.)
> 
> Leave a comment or come yell at me on tumblr <3


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